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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · cold · land · lash · bank · stand · march · rash

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — a series
  3. march — music
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. march — the month
  12. land — a country
  13. bank — for money
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. face — to confront
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com